Whoop

Whoop folds the hardware cost into a pricier membership. Whoop hides the band's cost inside a higher rolling membership with a notional 12 or 24 month commitment. Visible's founder lists it as one of three hardware pricing models.

The other two are Oura (high upfront price, low subscription) and Tractive (low barrier, earn on the service). Visible chose the Tractive-like route: a roughly $80 band sold at no margin, then $20 a month or $14.99 on annual.

Sub Club▶ 30:59

Whoop's users lean toward fitness, and it is a niche inside a large market. Whoop's users skew toward fitness more than sleep, though it now tracks sleep debt too. Rise's founder treats Whoop and Oura as part of a big market with room for several products serving different users.

Most of Rise's users own no wearable, and Rise works with or without one. He argues that entering a crowded market is safer than an empty one, since an empty market may mean users do not want to pay for the product.

Subversive▶ 39:10

Whoop's step-count celebration pushed one long COVID user to overdo it. Harry, Visible's co-founder, used a Whoop to track long COVID. It celebrated 10,000 steps and pushed him to overdo it.

That experience is part of the background to Visible's own approach to tracking.

Sub Club